Alma Mater Blues
by ThirdCharm01
Summary: MN. This is the third installment in the Reunion Series and is a sequel to “Old Crushes and True Loves”. Now, to the party the boys do go!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Alma Mater Blues

Author: Third Charm

Fandom: Babylon 5

Pairings: Marcus/Neroon, Corwin/OC, Sheridan/Delenn (in passing), Garibaldi/Lise (in passing), Lyta/Byron (in passing), Ivanova/OC (in passing), and Lennier/OC (in passing and sort of)

Story Type: Drama, Comedy, Romance

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Babylon 5 and all subsequent major characters, plots, and ideas are the property of J.Michael Straczynski, Babylonian Inc. and Warner Bros. The following story was written only for the purposes of entertainment. No income had been made.

Warnings: Very, **_VERY_** AU, not beta read yet, slash, implied exhibitionism

Spoilers: Too many to count!

Summary: This is another installment in the "Reunion Series" and is a sequel to "Old Crushes and True Loves". Now, to the party the boys do go!

Author's Note: Marcus and Neroon are an "old married couple" in this story. Also, the Minbari words and phrases were found at the "JumpNow" website in John Hightower's Minbari dictionary.

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Alma Mater Blues

Chapter One

Marcus cursed in all three modern Minbari languages as he ran. Damn those two idiots! He was late. At least there was no one to give him demerits for running in the halls this time. Aha! Almost there! Marcus saw his _mala_ (spouse) casually leaning against the wall in what Susan called a "classic James Dean Pose". What a picture Neroon made!

The _Satai_ was dressed in a flowing black silk evening robe and matching silk trousers. The robe was cut close to the body, to be open fronted and was slit along the sides up to mid thigh. It showed off the breadth of the Warrior-Priest's shoulders, tight fitting trousers, and not to mention Neroon's hard, sculpted thighs, gleaming knee high boots and mandarin collared gold silk tunic beneath the robe. A gold and platinum three-link chain and clasp, emblazoned with the Star Riders Crest of course, held it closed at the waist. The piping on the robe and trousers was done in gold, matching the tunic and designating Neroon's status as well. And, as always, Neroon's antique _denn'bok_ (Minbari fighting pike) was hooked to his belt.

Marcus loved the new styles that the designers on Minbar had come up with. They were a blend of the more ancient Human fashions, particularly from the Orient, and traditional Minbari robes. The older Minbari considered the fashions quite scandalous. Why, a modest Minbari NEVER showed so much leg outside the sleeping chamber - whether it was covered or not! Marcus wondered what the elders would do if they ever saw Delenn in John's favorite little, and he meant LITTLE, black dress!

The first time Delenn and Neroon had been seen in the new styles, it had caused no end of controversy. Marcus and John had spent the entire evening being admonished by the elders to take their spouses home to change while at the same time trying to keep slavering Warrior youths from breaking all Custom and protocol and hitting on said spouses! That evening started the Minbari press' foray into the "gossip rag" business. Oh the horror! The scandal! The profits!

Marcus skidded to a halt in front of his husband. Neroon just looked at him. Marcus held out a hand, and the _Satai_ handed over the suit bag that had been casually slung over his shoulder. They both ducked into the boys' locker room of Livingston's Academy.

Marcus began stripping faster than a starfury pilot readying for a red alert launch. "Neroon, remind me to kill those two idiots - SLOWLY - when we get back to Minbar. God, if Steven hadn't caught the news coming in on the police scanners, the Federation would have been totally humiliated!"

Neroon sighed and slumped back against the wall. "Just how bad was it this time?" he asked.

"Our dear_ goks_ (Minbari felines) in heat that won't admit it got themselves arrested for - get this - disturbing the peace, brawling, drunken disorderly and, of all things, public lewdness!" Marcus spat out as he drew on a pair of tuxedo trousers.

Neroon imitated a gold fish for a bit. Finally able to speak, he blurted out, "WHAT?!"

"You know they were at the conference for promoting interstellar peace in San Francisco?" Neroon nodded and Marcus continued, "Well, they got into one of their usuals right in the middle of the reception. Torreth lost it more than his normal and shoved Lennier. Lennier picked himself up off the floor and then let him have with all weapons systems blazing. Then, just as our "dear innocent Lennier" showed off his impressive knowledge of the more debased vernacular of six civilizations, someone passed him a glass of what appeared to be iced tea."

"He wet his whistle in preparation to continue while Torrath had his go around. Then something truly odd happened. Lennier threw his glass into the wall and "jumped" - and I mean "jumped" as in the human sexual term - Torrath! Lennier then said, and I quote, "I have heard tell that Warriors taste sweat, shall I find out?" He then went down on him - RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RECEPTION!" Marcus yelled out while buttoning up a dress shirt of emerald green silk.

"OH VALEN! HE DID WHAT?!" Neroon yelled out.

"You heard me! Lennier went down on him! As in providing oral sexual gratification – right in the middle of the conference reception!" Marcus spat out with anger and disgust.

Neroon began to laugh hysterically. "You know what this means?"

"Yes! We barely saved the honor of the Federation that's what! If Steven hadn't been at the forensic pathologist's office of the S.F.P.D. when this happened, it would been all over ISN! It'll still get out and cause havoc in the ISA Assembly! Oh Valen! I don't even want to THINK about how the Clan, Caste and Grey Councils will react! And just wait till the rags back home get their hands on this! And, as it is, I had to spin more lies than a spider spins silk to get them out of there and onto a _Sharlin_ (Minbari War Cruiser) back to Minbar. By the way, if anyone asks, Lennier was poisoned and hallucinating," Marcus said as he slipped his dinner jacket on.

"Yes, it does mean that. But, my _mala_, I take it that the iced tea was what Humans call a "Long Island Iced Tea"?" Neroon asked with an evil smirk on his face.

"What... Another "Blessed Child?!" Oh, this IS sweet revenge!" Marcus said, now looking as evil as his husband.

"Speaking of revenge, how is Torreth behaving after this?" Neroon asked.

"Hiding in shame," Marcus answered. His smirk got just a little more evil as he put on his dress shoes.

"As he should be. There was no need to become violent. That is what sparked this mess to begin with!" Neroon huffed as he did up the clasp to the chain of Marcus's platinum Star Rider pendant.

"Oh no, my _mala._ That's not it at all! When Lennier gave him his – ahem – "little present", Torreth squealed like a terrified virgin and promptly feinted," Marcus chuckled out as they finished. He had packed his _Shai Alyt_ Uniform in his bag in this time.

Neroon burst out laughing. "Oh, Valen! I will never, NEVER, let that loud mouth of a Wind Sword live that one down!"

Marcus agreed and joined in the laughter. When they calmed a bit, they headed out the door. Marcus handed the bag over to a Ranger dressed in a waiter's uniform as they exited.

"So who do you think they finally pushed over the edge in order to have this happen?" Neroon asked as they walked.

"You know, I think this has Centauri Prime Minister Vir Cotto written all over it. It's exactly what a Centauri would do. They would either kill each other or shag each other, but at least the mayhem would end!" Marcus replied, still frustrated by his unscheduled trip to the American West Coast to bail two members of the Grey Council out of the S.F.P.D.'s drunk tank!

Neroon snorted. "Where have all the innocents gone? I remember a time when Vir stuttered and blushed worse than a novice Religious Caste caught in a Centauri bordello and Lennier had a permanent crick in his neck from looking down all the time."

Marcus became serious. "Humans haven't been innocent since the War, and The Shadow Wars burned it out of all the rest of us, my love. You know, as much as the little _goklings_ that deify us annoy me, I still rejoice in seeing their innocence. When I look into their eyes and see no remembered pain, I feel that we accomplished our goals," he answered quietly.

Neroon stopped their walk and turned to take Marcus in his arms. The _Satai_ looked into his _mala's_ eyes. "You know that if we Minbari could turn back the time, we would have the war with Earth never happen? It is as painful a memory for us as it is for your people, beloved. To know that we became such savages, committed such horrendous acts against those that could not defend themselves, it horrifies us."

"As we walked the streets of the town today, I saw mothers pulling their children closer to them as we passed. I saw males take a step to the front of their families, as if to protect their loved ones with their bodies. And I know it is because of the carnage we wreaked on Earth and her colonies during the war. It has been well past fifteen of your years and the pain and fear are still there. I do not think we will ever be able to atone for that madness."

Marcus felt tears fill his eyes at the remorse and pain in his love's voice and hugged him tighter. "_Zha'aia_ (One Heart), please do not dwell on such thoughts. The war is over. It has been over, as you said, for over fifteen years. The wounds are starting to heal. Yes, some people today were still afraid, but many more were very welcoming. You saw how many children, and adults as well, had come up and asked about our uniforms. Do you remember the look on that old ground pounder's face when he realized that I was the War Commander of the Warrior Caste and not you?"

Neroon chuckled and kissed Marcus's forehead. "Yes! By Valen! That was quite a shock to the elder. What did he mean, when he said to me, "Well lad, if there's another cock-up, ye've got nothin' to blame but yer thinkin' with yer willy?" I did not fully understand, but to ask for an explanation to a comment that I think was not completely polite in such mixed company would not have been acceptable."

Marcus laughed outright. "That old drill sergeant meant that if the Federation got into another war without thinking of the consequences, the blame should be laid at your feet for letting your sexual urges get the better of you. After all, how else could someone as young as I come be in command of the entire Minbari military?"

Neroon groaned. "Elders! It doesn't matter the species, you never mature in their eyes!"

They stepped out of each other's arms, but still clasped the other's hand. Marcus spoke again as they again made their way to the doors of Livingston's great hall. "Well, I can't keep avoiding this, Neroon. Let the political fawning from the sycophants, snubbing from the snobs, veiled insults from the xeno and homophobes, and outright boredom begin."

Neroon squeezed his hand in encouragement. "All will be well, _mala_. I will be here with you. We have, as of yet, not found a being willing to insult us when we present a united front."

"That's because you haven't met the Rothechilde twins before. You will tonight. So please, please give your _denn'bok_ to one of the Rangers posing as waiters. I do not wish to be bailing out another Minbari from jail tonight." Marcus said.

Neroon straightened, and gave Marcus his most haughty "I am _Satai_" look. "After all these years of dealing with Londo, Garibaldi and G'Kar, I do believe I have learned how to restrain myself. If I hadn't, John would have had a blood bath on his hands at the first Christmas party!" Neroon smirked. "Do not worry love, your former school mates will not break my self control."

"That's what you think," Marcus muttered as they entered the great hall of his almamater.

An hour later, Neroon found himself eating his words. By the Ancient Ones! How had Marcus endured four years in the company of these fools without committing homicide?! The innuendoes had started as they walked in. Apparently, the fools did not know how acute Minbari hearing really was. While most beings made sure to insult a Minbari after they were well out of hearing range, these Shadow-Spawn whispered behind their cocktail glasses only a few yards from him!

Oh, the _Sha'gh_ (cursed ones) were on their most diplomatic behavior, fawning even, when speaking directly to them. And, as Marcus said, all the insults were quite well veiled. Most were about how well Marcus put up with having a mass murderer for a mate. The comments disparaging his honor Neroon could ignore, but what was being said about Marcus made his blood boil!

Comments such as "Well, at least Cole's arse went for one hell of a high price!", "Do you think the little queen got his taste for bonehead cock during the War?" and "Hell, if I'd known the little mine rat was as bent as a three-credit chip, I'd have nailed him back in the old days, when he came a lot cheaper." had Neroon wanting to restart the Earth/Minbari War. And this time, he'd keep the attacks to surgical strikes! How dare they infer that his mate was a courtesan?! How dare they! Marcus had come to him unawakened. His _mala_ had more honor in his pinky finger than they imbeciles had in their entire bodies and souls!

He also had to apologize to Marcus for underestimating the sheer annoyance factor of the Rothechilde twins. How can a being insult you in the same sentence that they proposition you in? Even Londo's fourth wife was better behaved than this! The _Satai _sighed into his glass of sparkling water. At least there was one consolation. Marcus had not yet heard a word of what was being said about him, and if Neroon had his way, he never would. The _Satai_ truly regretted having his love come to this mess.

Neroon was the epitome of the stone-faced Mindari War Leader as yet another human he did not know walked up to them. Hopefully this one would be better behaved and would keep his hands to himself, unlike those twin tarts! If not, well, odds were that Marcus WOULD be bailing him out of prison tonight.

"Marcus, hey mate, I don't know if you remember me, but we were in the same science program. Eric Rathborn," the slim, light-haired, and bespectacled human male said as he held out his hand to Marcus.

"Eric? Eric, bloody hell mate! You've truly changed! I didn't recognize you at all! Nor did I expect to see you here, not after your quite colorful and scathing valorvictorian speech! How are you? What have you been doing with your self?" Marcus enthused as he shook the man's hand.

"The speech was my entry into the real world. I'm not so timid and shy any more. Grew up hard and fast. In the same place as you, old bean." Eric said.

Marcus became somber. "Live fast, run faster," Eric joined him in the saying, "play hard, and DIE HARDER!" they shouted in unison and raised their glasses. Those around them gave the two startled looks. "To the honored ones. In memoriam," they finished and drank. Neroon bowed his head in reverence. He had found out early on that this was the EarthForce Special Forces way of honoring their dead.

"I'm sorry Eric, I am being quite rude. May I introduce my husband? Eric Rathborn, this is my _mala_, Neroon of the Star Riders. Neroon, this is my old science partner, Eric Rathborn. Together, we were voted by the instructors "most likely to purposely cause catastrophic cascade failure" in the schools Q-40 reactor," Marcus explained with a devilish smirk.

Neroon chuckled and bowed formally to Eric before anwering with, "Somehow, _ma'fela_ (lover), that does not surprise me."

"Hey! I am not that destructive!" Marcus defended himself with mock innocence.

"Tell that to someone who hadn't had to fight to keep up with your ID&R record, Firewing," Eric said as he chuckled.

"FIREWING?! Marcus, you could have told me sooner! You are a legend among the Caste. Most still can't believe that all the sabotage that is attributed to you was committed by one being," Neroon cried in disbelief, garnering them more startled looks.

"Oh, bugger!" Marcus muttered as he blushed, mumbled and finally ducked his head in embarrassment.

"What was that?" Neroon prompted.

"I already have way too many _goklings_ following me around as it is. If this gets out back home, we'll have the little fools camping at our doorstep like poor G'Kar does," Marcus groused.

Neroon groaned. "You are right," he agreed before turing to to Eric. "Please let's say nothing more on the subject. Other than, well you must then be Starblazer, going by your previous statement."

Eric inclined his head in acknowledgement. "I could never keep up with him in shear blast radius, though."

"I repeat, I am not that destructive!" Marcus defended himself again.

His two companions stared at him in disbelief.

"Alright, I admit it. I'm good with things that make lots of noise and leave big craters. But I'm supposed to be. Remember, I'm just a "mine rat"!" Marcus said while chuckling.

His old partner, and sometime EFSF rival, changed the subject. "Marcus, would you and your _mala_ care to join my wife and myself at our table? She doesn't know anyone here but you and the _Satai._ I think she's also feeling a bit conspicuous."

"We know your mate?" asked Neroon as they walked to one of the more shadowed corners.

"Yes, quite well, in fact. I don't know how you will feel about seeing her tonight, but at least she will have someone to talk to that won't have her wanting to order a black ops hit," Eric said with a rueful chuckle.

"She's already run in to the Rothechilde harridans, then?" Marcus asked.

"Unfortunately. I believe they met in the ladies' retiring room. Fortunately, the little fools are already too pickled to have recognized her," Eric said as the neared their destination.

Marcus immediately knew whom they would see seated at the table. The two behemoths with black suits, ears pieces, and bulging breast pockets standing in the darkest part of the corner gave her away. These two killing machines were the EA president's personal Secret Service guards. Marcus looked down, and there she was, the red-haired dynamo, Madame President Ellen Carmichael. And she looked more bored than a Centauri Lord at a Minbari _Na'fak Cha_ (rebirth) ceremony.

"Madam President, for once, I am glad to see you," Neroon said, smirked, and bowed.

"Wow, Neroon! You really DO know how to make a girl feel wanted," Carmichael replied sarcastically.

The men laughed and sat down. Neroon and Ellen had been bantering like this since they had first met at her inauguration ball. Both were blunt, no nonsense warriors, and neither suffered fools gladly. Marcus was truly glad to see her.

"Ellen, I didn't know you had married this loon! Had I known you were about to tie the knot to Eric, I would have warned you off!" He teased.

"We married back during the War, Marcus. We were on the same team during the fight for Io," she smiled sadly and added, "We vowed that if we made it out alive, we'd get married."

Neroon bowed his head in deference to the Human dead and in shame. The memories of Io still made his skin crawl. "May your fallen brethren walk where no shadows fall," he intoned.

Ellen looked at him, and inclined her head. "Stop beating yourself up over it, Neroon. You didn't give the order. And if I, and the rest of humanity, can forgive Delenn for giving it, we can easily forgive Warriors taught only to obey for following orders."

Eric intervened before the moment could get more morbid. "Come now, why don't you two let us all get caught up?" he cheerfully asked.

Marcus agreed, and asked the first question. "Well, I know what Ellen has been doing with her time since we all served, but how about you, Eric? What have you been doing, and why don't we see your lovely mug at all those horrible rubber chicken dinners?"

"Running General Dynamic Space, and I HATE politics. Hence, the maiden name my lovely lady still uses. This First Gentleman hides quite well in his office, thank you!" he answered.

Marcus was floored. There had never been a picture of the GDS CEO in the press. "So you're "that bastard Rathborn"! Well my friend, I don't think I should invite you two over for dinner the same night Michael and Lise are over. I don't need a blood bath in the dining salon."

The table laughed. "Don't worry, Marcus. That's just for the Press. In reality, Mike and I work well together. In the OLD Business and the new, the old is why I keep such a low profile," Eric said.

A waiter came over with their favorite cocktails and another sparkling water with citrus juice for Neroon. They took their drinks and smirked at the rueful look the Ranger turned waiter gave the Secret Service men, who returned the look in comradely support.

"You know, between my people, Eric's people, Mike's people, your people, John's people and Delenn's people, I don't think there is a real service professional here tonight," Ellen said.

"And don't they all hate us for presenting such a combined and lovely target?" Marcus said as they as chuckled again.

"Do you remember when we where in their shoes, and roundly cursing our charges for congregating so closely that one round could take out all the "foolish politicians" at once?" Eric asked. That brought more laughs.

"My personal guards were supremely insulted for being asked to where changling nets tonight. They wished to have at least one Warrior to act as a "screen". But, after some placating, we were able to convince them that Marcus and I did not wish to stand out more than we already did. After all, this is just an informal gathering, and we did not… hmm… Now what was that saying? Aha! We did not R.S.V.P. that we were attending until two days ago," Neroon added.

"Oh, my word! We have Minbari Warriors acting as service staff?!" Eric asked. "By God, I hope the xenophobic fools here can keep their stupidity to themselves, or there will be a massacre!"

"Don't worry Eric. The Warriors doing it are Minbari Intelligence. They know how to keep themselves in check," Marcus assured him.

"And if not, as the universal saying goes, they are good at what they do. No one will ever find the bodies," Neroon added with a feral smile and a dark chuckle, thinking about what may very well happen to some of the fools that had insulted Marcus.

More vicious laughter was heard. The table was beginning to garner interest from their neighbors. Nervous interest.

"Oh, damn and blast! Bogies at twelve o'clock high!" Eric called out after looking up and seeing their old Dean and the president of their graduating class, Damian Witherspoon, walking towards the table.

The venerable old teacher walked up to the table. The "youngsters" stood up. Neroon bowed to the "elder" and "instructor" as any polite Minbari would.

"Oh my! What a distinguished crowd! Madame President, _Satai_, and _Shai Alyt_, - and Mister Rathborn - it is an honor to have you here. May I welcome you, and welcome you back, as the case may be, to Livingston's?" the retired Dean said. "Please, sit down. May we join you for a bit?"

"Yes, of course, Dean Rodgers. Please, be seated," Eric said and motioned to one of the Secret Service guards to seat the old dean. Witherspoon could go to hell. He'd made Eric's and Marcus's lives miserable.

When the elderly gentleman was seated, he asked he first question. "Now I know why the _Satai_ is here," Witherspoon smirked at Marcus, letting everyone know exactly what he thought of that situation, "but you Madam President? What brings you to this gathering, and why are your men following Mr. Rathborn's orders?"

Eric groaned. "Ellen, love, I don't think we can keep it under the rug any more."

"I think you're right, dear," Ellen answered in her best "dutiful housewife" voice.

Marcus and Neroon snorted and shook their heads. Was anyone buying that act?

"Ellen and I have been married for the past eighteen years. We met while on the same duty station. And, well, it was love at first sight," Eric explained.

Witherspoon smirked. "Well, Eric, why haven't we seen you around then? I've been to many EA functions and I certainly don't remember running into you."

"Oh, Eric was too busy working. He does real work, you know!" Ellen gushed, all proud housewife.

Marcus was choking back his laughter while Neroon had to duck his head so that his truly evil smirk would not be seen.

"Why, he's the CEO of General Dynamic Space, and has been for the last thirteen years. The youngest to reach such a position in the company! And, is solely responsible for the Dreadnought Fleet that we fielded against the Shadows after getting rid of Clark!" she enthusiastically added.

Witherspoon paled. GDS had destroyed his family's firm and then taken it over at one tenth of its true price, leaving them with barely any of their wealth left. That had been over a decade ago. Why hadn't anyone made the connection before?

Marcus looked up to see a feral smile on both Eric and Ellen's faces. Then he turned to hide his own smirk - and saw a startling sight. Captain Corwin of Babylon 5 had walked in, with a petite, black-haired and very pregnant lady on his arm. Marcus did a double take. Yes, yes, it was Janice Davis! Well, Janice Corwin now, he supposed. Could the universe get any smaller?

"Sorry to interrupt, but another old friend just walked in. And you won't believe it, Eric! Janice is in the pudding club and on Corwin's arm!" Marcus said.

"Bugger! Corwin did you say? How did he land Janice?" a startled Eric asked.

Witherspoon's jaw dropped. Another bloody little nobody now with clout?! How? Why? This wasn't to be borne!

"Excuse us, but perhaps we should move this party out into the open. We don't want an expectant mother to have to work her way back here," Ellen said as she got up.

The men followed suit. She then sent one of the guards to commandeer a table closer to the front of the room, and the other to extend the invitation. Fuck being polite and not stepping on toes! The rest of the fools had already taken off the proverbial gloves!

Neroon saw what she was doing, and motioned one of his people to back the Secret Service men up. Time for some pay back! He gave the Warrior the signal to drop the net. A fully armed and armored Minbari Warrior showing up out of nowhere elicited a sea of gasps and a few screams. Marcus saw this and raised an eyebrow at his _mala_.

"Revenge can be sweet love, and with another very high profile couple, we can get it," answered Neroon in _Adrihi'e_ (the ancient Minbari language).

"We have all heard the insults these _Sha'gh_ have been speaking of all of us, it is time to make them realize just who they are upsetting," added Ellen in the same language while Eric smirked.

Marcus inclined his head. He didn't care if these bastards kept calling him a whore, but if one more idiot called his love a baby killer, he was going to be the one that needed bail money tonight! "Then let "Operation Humiliate the Fools Begin!" he agreed.

Neroon knew then that Marcus had heard everything, and his heart bled for his mate. He took his love's hand and kissed Marcus's palm in full view of the tables surrounding them. By Valen, these _Sha'gh_ would pay!

The four moved forward as a unit, moving with the deadly grace of predators. The battle scarred veterans of many wars and horrors let their masks of civility drop and showed the crowd the lethal killers beneath. The humans left a wake of fear behind them while Neroon inspired shear terror and more screams.

After the best table in the hall had been cleared and reset, and Ellen and Neroon were seated, Marcus and Eric went to greet Janice and her husband. As Corwin saw them approach, he smiled in relief. Well, at least Cole had made it. Between him and Neroon, he wouldn't feel like such a fish out of water in this crowd of blue bloods.

"Cole! I'm glad you made it! Sorry we're late, but a little tada in San Francisco had to be put to bed," Marcus groaned while Corwin smirked. "Michael called, and since I was in the neighborhood, so to speak, we stopped by to put it to bed, "permanently," Corwin finished with a wink as he shook hands with the former Ranger.

"Not a problem! Janice, dear! How wonderful to see you!" Marcus said as he and then Eric hugged the mother to be. "Now why were Neroon and I, nor anyone else from the old crowd invited to the wedding? It would have been nice to give this old comrade a proper Babylon Five send off!" he finished as they made their way to the table.

"That's exactly why we eloped!" Corwin said as he seated his expectant wife. He signaled a waiter to bring Janice some juice. They also shared a pointed look.

"Oh God! Not Zack's people too!" Marcus groaned. "We're surrounded! We'll never get home without a dozen lectures of why we acted as fools and broke security protocols A through Z!"

Everyone groaned at that.

"Alright! Let's pretend we're adults and don't have ten armies of babysitters here tonight!" the President said loudly as more Security made their presence obvious. Two more Warriors dropped their nets at Neroon's signal.

They table looked around covertly and saw many of the other guests pale as they realized just how much of their sniping had been overheard and was surely to be reported back. Oh, but the squirming had just begun! Neroon laughed inwardly. It wouldonly get worse for these fools as the night wore on!

"And to get back to the topic at hand, just why would that be, Captain?" asked Ellen.

"Madam President, good to see you again. So, you got hitched one of these yahoos too?" Corwin said as he came to attention, saluted, winked and sat down.

"Yep, the blond brain seated next to me. Corwin, may I present my husband Eric? Eric, Captain Corwin of B5," Ellen said.

"We already know each other ma'am. Met on Proxima way back when," the Captain said.

"Oh yes, the last push to get Clark out. Forgot about that. Sheridan had sent you to spearhead that front hadn't he?" Ellen said.

Janice groaned. "Stop! No war stories! No politics! No in-jokes about Collins nee Ivanova! I NEED A BREAK!"

Everyone laughed.

"Alright, then we can get back to the original question. Why the elopement?" Marcus asked.

"Well, the B5 track record with weddings stinks! And I wasn't going to tempt fate!" Corwin answered.

"Now, my friend, surly it's not that bad," Neroon said.

"Oh, really! Let's start with you two. Hmm, rushed to the altar by a mob at plasma rifle point while suffering from radiation poisoning. Then we have Susan and Allen. First try, the rabbi has a coronary, then the nuptials were interrupted by a Shadow attack and they finished giving their vows respectively from a starfury and the bridge of WhiteStar 25 – WHILE IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE! That was followed by Mike and Lise's little snafu; I believe that involved at least one assignation attempt. And John and Delenn; well "champagne", followed by G'Kar's prosthetic eye tied into BabCom, need I say more? Zack and Steve, well I think those two hahbeen scared into permanent bachelorhood after that! And I STILL have nightmares of Lyta and Byron's fiasco!" the Captain finished with a wince. Everyone who had been there shuddered at that particular little memory.

"Alright! You've made your point! We're pathetic on the personal front!" Marcus admitted. "Can we please get off the topic? It is depressing to know that we can't have a personal event happen without it being planned by a dozen aides, another dozen security officers, and the governing body of at least one planet!"

Everyone groaned, commiserated, and agreed. The topic was just too depressing.

"So Janice, what have you been doing since we left these hallowed halls?" asked Eric.

"Well, unlike the rest of you, I didn't join EarthForce. Sorry, _Satai._ You are excluded, of course," Janice said and blushed.

There was a round of good-natured chuckling while Neroon inclined his head and smiled gently at the expectant mother.

"I went on to university, earned my degree in teaching and have been doing that ever since I left Cambridge. Now I do it on B5. That's how we met. David was the one to interview me for the position and, well, the sparks just flew," Janice finished.

"Wow! A real life! A nice, normal, real life! Can we please trade?!" Ellen asked very enthusiastically. Hearty laughter followed.

"Say that again, after you've spent a day with two dozen hyperactive twelve-year-olds!" Janice said.

The galactic leaders all looked at each other. Smirks were seen. And more laughter was heard.

"I will reiterate the President's words, my lady. Can you please trade duties with one of us? We could use the holiday. You see; we deal with adult beings that act like hyperactive twelve-year-olds that don't wish to share their toys every day. Unlike true children though, you cannot frighten them into proper behavior! Forgive me, I need to correct myself, you cannot frighten them into proper behavior unless you are John "StarKiller" Sheridan, the One who came back from the dead and terrified the Shadows into leaving the galaxy," Neroon added.

"Don't forget that the rat points to us, and says, "Oh, and if pissing me off doesn't scare you bad enough, these people will come and hurt you for me," all while smiling politely." Corwin added with a snort.

"No, my friends. First he threatens to send Delenn and Susan over for a "conference" while inferring it's "that time of the month". Then he drops Michael's name, and if that doesn't work, THEN he points to us," Eric said.

Janice choked on her juice. "WHAT?!"

"It's true. They've worked together for so long, that they've synced. And now that I'm in on this ISA mess, I'm joining the "club". Oh, by the way, NEVER piss of Delenn when she's PMSing. I'm a woman, and it still scares me. And NEVER EVER get on Susan's bad side for ANY reason," Ellen answered.

"You mean to tell me that the President of the ISA threatens galactic leaders with his hormonal wife?" Janice asked in disbelief.

Everyone laughed until they cried. "Oh Janice, you'll start seeing the madness as sanity soon enough. Enjoy time you have left as a sane and rational person. In a few months, all you will have left is delusions of sanity, just like the rest of us. Welcome to the Babylon 5 Family!" Marcus said and raised his glass.

"Welcome to the Babylon 5 Family!" The others intoned and toasted Janice, who blushed.

Just as they finished, a chef came hurrying to their table. "Ladies and gentlemen, please excuse the interruption, but I must speak to the Misters Cole. _Satai, Shai Alyt,_ please forgive me, but I do not believe that I have anything suitable on the menu this evening. I did not even know that know that a person of the Minbari race was even attending until one of your security personnel walked in to do sweep!" the frazzled chef said.

"Master Chef, please do not concern yourself. I am born of the Warrior Caste. I came to the calling of the Religious Caste quite late in life. Though I am now bound to hold to the ideals of both, I still live in many respects as a Warrior. Therefore, you need not worry about the dietary restrictions. Whatever you have prepared will be fine. Most Minbari can eat and digest most Human foods. The are, of course, certain foods and beverages, such as alcohol, that must be avoided," Neroon answered calmly.

The cook looked immensely relieved. "Sirs, I am glad to hear that. Could perhaps one of your men lend some assistance so that a mistake with an allergen or inadvertent poison is not made?"

"Of course, Chef," Marcus said as he motioned to one of the Rangers. The Ranger posing as one of the waiters came over and bowed after greeting the table in both _Lenn'ah _(the Warrior Caste language) and_ Adronato _(the Religious Caste language).

"This is Ranger Simmons. He is familiar with all the dietary needs of the Minbari. Simmons, accompany the Chef to the kitchens. Simmons, please assist him in any way he needs," Marcus ordered. The Ranger affirmed his orders, bowed and left with the grateful cook.

"Why those unmitigated bastards! Two days is more than enough time to have the chef notified that a single Minbari would be attending! Only one Minbari would need only one separate dish! They did this in order to humiliate you, my _mala_!" Marcus raged quietly in _Lenn'ah_.

"Do not concern yourself, beloved. What is that phrase Mr. Garibaldi keeps using? Ah yes, every dog has his day. And these rabid canines will soon encounter theirs," Neroon answered serenely. He again lovingly kissed Marcus's palm, this time in full view of the entire hall.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Alma Mater Blues

Author: Third Charm

Fandom: Babylon 5

Pairings: Marcus/Neroon, Corwin/OC, Sheridan/Delenn (in passing), Garibaldi/Lise (in passing), Lyta/Byron (in passing), Ivanova/OC (in passing), and Lennier/OC (in passing and sort of)

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Babylon 5 and all subsequent major characters, plots, and ideas are the property of J.Michael Straczynski, Babylonian Inc. and Warner Bros. The following story was written only for the purposes of entertainment. No income had been made.

Warnings: Very, _**VERY**_ AU, not beta read yet, slash, explicate "gastronomic intercourse" (you'll see)

Spoilers: Too many to count!

Summary: This is another installment in the "Reunion Series" and is a sequel to "Old Crushes and True Loves". Now, to the party the boys do go!

Author's Note: Marcus and Neroon are an "old married couple" in this story. Also, the Minbari words and phrases were found at the "JumpNow" website in John Hightower's Minbari dictionary.

* * *

Alma Mater Blues

Chapter Two

"Do not concern yourself, beloved. What is that phrase Mr. Garibaldi keeps using? Ah yes, it's "every dog has his day". And these rabid canines will soon encounter theirs," Neroon answered serenely. He again lovingly kissed Marcus's palm, this time in full view of the entire hall.

Marcus took a good look at his husband. "What have you set in motion, beloved? And will it be the cause of another intergalactic incident tonight?"

"Don't ask Marcus. Maintain plausible deniability," said a chuckling President while everyone else laughed.

"Seriously, are we going to have to deal with another "situation"?" asked Corwin, already knowing in his gut that this wasn't going to bode well for the snobs.

Neroon took a look at his husband and poor Captain Corwin. He took pity on them. "Nothing will happen this evening if we are not pushed to the wall. But, I have learned a few things from Michael. Therefore, tomorrow morning is a different story," the _Satai_ added smugly.

Eric laughed. It was a deep, booming laughter you wouldn't have expected from someone who looked like an academic. "The rags! You're going to use the rags against them!" he said, switching back to _Lenn'ah_.

This of course irritated their eavesdroppers to no end. Really, how rude could these aliens and trumped up nobodies be? The least they could do is speak the Queen's English! How were they supposed to find out what retribution to watch for if they couldn't understand a word of what this assorted trash were saying? – And what did that bonehead mean by being pushed to the wall?

Neroon smirked. Then he on took on an offended look. "Now, what gave you such an idea? I am _Satai_. Why would I stoop to such dishonorable methods?" he asked in mock indignation.

Corwin snorted and switched the conversation back to Standard. "Maybe because it's exactly what you did to Enrhani delegation?"

"The what?" asked his puzzled wife after seeing the smirks on everyone's faces.

"Do you want to tell this or should I?" Corwin asked Marcus.

"Oh, please. Let me! After all, everyone blamed me for it first!" Marcus said in an exasperated voice and with an elbow jab aimed at his smug mate, who evaded easily.

Marcus dropped his voice. He didn't want the surrounding snobs to hear him, but wanted Janice to understand what he said. He'd already noticed by her sometimes-quizzical looks that she had a very sporadic knowledge of _Lenn'ah_. So, with the signaled approval of the rest of the table, he went on with the story in Standard.

"Two years ago, a newly encountered race petitioned to join the ISA. Neroon, John, and President Graham were the ones chosen as the primary ISA negotiators. The new race is now known as the Enrhani."

"Anyway, the Enrhani were quite happy with the negotiation team until they heard that Neroon was also Religious Caste. After that, things started going down hill. You see, the culture of the Enrhani brings new meaning to the phrase "survival of the fittest". So, having someone who practices a belief system espousing that all life is sacred negotiating with them set their fangs on edge."

Neroon snorted. "That's what they wanted us to believe. What the hypocrites really hated was finding out that I was mated to another male. As soon as they found out about Marcus, I was completely cut out at the table."

Marcus went on from there. "Well, things just kept getting worse and worse. Finally, John asked Neroon to come up with a plausible reason to leave the team and to bring me in. Now at the time, we still didn't know about the severe Enrhani taboos against homosexuality. We thought that having the leader of the Warrior Caste and someone who had been a soldier/warrior most of their lives would help."

Neroon cut in again, "When Marcus took my place at the table things began to look up. Then one of the two-faced idiots walked in on a private conversation between my _mala_ and myself. You can imagine what happened after that."

Marcus took the tag with, "Well, I started having the same problems at the negotiation table that Neroon did. Nothing helped. We – ah, John Tom, and I – tried to go for the "Blessed Child" angle to see if that would help. Notta. If anything, it made the whole situation worse."

Neroon growled before adding, "One of the Enrhani actually called Marcus an abomination. At that point I'd had enough. I knew I couldn't Challenge anyone, but Michael had told me once that the only way he could survive the press in his position was to make them unwittingly work for him. I remembered this. So, I called in chips..."

"Markers. "The chips are down" and you "call in markers"," corrected Marcus.

"Yes, thank you. I called in markers with everyone I knew. I had the hypocritical Shadow-spawn watched every moment. Every one of their little hypocrisies – including the ban on homosexuality – was exposed and reported on by the tabloids. Let's just say that from there on in, they were ready to agree to anything that the ISA negotiation team wanted, just so that the humiliation would end!" Neroon finished quietly and viciously.

"Neroon! Why, I didn't know you had it in you! That's something a human politician would do! I salute you! I'm so glad we have been able to bring the Minbari Warrior Caste in from the cold!" said a chuckling Ellen.

"More like we have completely corrupted their society," replied her husband. Everyone laughed.

"This I know," Neroon groaned out with an ever-suffering look on his face. Everyone laughed again.

Marcus switched back to _Lenn'ah._ "Now, how pray tell, will the rags be getting their information for a print run for the morning?" he asked suspiciously. His eyes widened as he came to own conclusion. "You evil Minbari! You've had your people digging already! Why?"

Neroon looked at his_ mala _and smiled gently. "Marcus, they hurt you once. I did not trust these _Sha'gh _to not hurt you again. Besides, were you not the one who told me that a proper Warrior is prepared for any contingency?"

"Oh, my God! Marcus, are you teaching the Warrior Caste using the Boyscout's Handbook?!" cried out Janice in mock shock. "It's sacrilege! They should take away all your badges!" There was more laughter.

"Janice, love, I think you've finally caught on to B5 humor!" said Corwin.

Finally, as the laughter was dying down, the former headmaster again approached the table. This time, to the relief of the entire table, Witherspoon wasn't with him. Again, the men stood up and invited the old headmaster to sit down.

"Ladies, gentlemen. Ah, Ms. Davis! I should say Mrs. Corwin, shouldn't I? Congratulations to you and the Captain on your impending parenthood. Welcome back to Livingston's," Dean Richards said.

"Thank you, sir," replied Janice.

The old teacher became somber. "Now, I know that this evening is supposed to be a light hearted get together of old friends, but you see, the your old class government had organized a small memorial for all of your classmates that aren't with us anymore. They had wished to dedicate the plaque tonight," Richards said and then looked at Neroon. "_Satai_, I know this puts you in an awkward position, but, since the top three students of this graduating class are at this table..."

Eric, Janice, and Marcus blushed at the astounded looks on their spouses' faces.

Marcus grumbled out, "What, does everyone think that my only abilities lie in military ordinance?"

The table chuckled. Neroon then asked, "From a previous conversation I know that Mr. Rathborn was the highest ranking student. May I ask what the order following Mr. Rathborn was?"

"Why, didn't Marcus ever tell you? He and Janice tied for salutatorian," Richards answered. "And the most interesting part was that only one point separated Janice and Marcus from Eric's grade."

Janice huffed. "I knew we should have gone for that extra credit on the final literature essay! I KNEW IT! But, nooo! You said that the physics papers were more important!" Janice finished while pointing an accusing her finger at Marcus.

Marcus playfully shuddered and ducked behind his husband. "Upset lady with child! Help! Save me!" he cried out in mock horror.

"Marcus! Do not hide, face this terrible trial as a Warrior should!" Neroon said with an evil smirk as he dragged Marcus out from behind himself. "Besides, _mala_, after facing Delenn and Susan at such a time, I'm sure this should hold no fear for you." Everyone laughed again.

"Ahem, to get back to the original topic, since the top three students of this class are here, we – the old staff – would like the three of you to make the dedication speech," Richards held up a hand to stave off the denials that were already coming. "I know that you do such things all the time, and we shouldn't be asking this of you now, but I have a feeling that the three of you know your fallen classmates best. If you do not wish to do this, we will not force you, especially you, Marcus. But please consider it."

Richards let out a small smile as he handed a flimsy to Eric. "Consider this as a request by your old teachers to save them from Witherspoon's pontificating." More laughter followed that statement. "Now, as I see that dinner is about to be served, I had best shuffle back to the intellectual old folk's table before all the meals that are suited to dentures are gone," the elderly gentleman said. With that, Richards stood up and after a small bow to each lady, left.

Eric looked over the flimsy as the eager Chef personally served their table. His face became grimmer with each line he read. Finally, with a barely restrained growl, he put down the flimsy. He motioned to one of the waiters. When the man came over, he said something to him in a voice too low for anyone to hear. The man dropped the service professional's face and showed the room that yet another intelligence officer was in their midst – much to the dismay of the surrounding tables. The agent nodded, affirmed his orders and left.

In the mean time, Neroon tasted his meal while an eager and nervous Chef waited. The _Satai_ was quite surprised at the rich flavor that the seemingly light vegetarian dish possessed. He bowed his head to the Chef and complimented him. The Chef simply beamed. Neroon then lightly touched Marcus's wrist to get his attention away from watching Eric.

"_Ma'fela_, you should try this. It's absolutely amazing," Neroon said.

Marcus smiled at Neroon. He saw the devilish twinkle in his husband's eyes. Marcus knew that Neroon was up to something. Hmm, should he go along with it? Neroon slightly tilted his head to the left and lightly quirked his mouth; the Minbari equivalent of a wink. Marcus quickly and unobtrusively scanned their "audience". Oh, yes! He definitely should! – And he was going to have some fun with his husband too!

"I'd love to, _mala_," Marcus said in a husky voice, a voice that should be banned from use anywhere but the privacy of their bedchamber. Neroon visibly trembled from it. Marcus smirked inwardly. "Got you, lover!" He thought to himself.

Neroon speared an asparagus tip with his fork and held it to Marcus's lips. Marcus let his tongue shyly slip out to lightly lick some of the sauce from the vegetable. Then, he pulled the spear partly into his mouth and suckled more of the sauce off. He moaned slightly. Neroon gulped audibly.

"You are right, _mala_. Delicious," Marcus purred in that bedroom voice while looking at Neroon through his lowered lashes.

Neroon stilled completely, all his attention was now centered on his flirting husband. Marcus delicately plucked the asparagus tip off of Neroon's fork with his teeth, chewed and swallowed, all while giving the appearance of abandoned orgasmic delight. He then playfully licked his lips. In all this time, his eyes never left Neroon's. Neroon remembered that same look on his _mala's_ face; usually right after Marcus had brought him to orgasm with that beautiful, wicked and oh so talented mouth, and groaned. So did some of the audience at the surrounding tables who were "not" watching the exchange.

"Ahem! Ahem! I believe we have had enough of the tableside gastronomic intercourse. I don't want to deal with that more than once a year. John and Delenn every Christmas is bad enough! It's enough to put a man off his Christmas ham!" Corwin interrupted the moment, to the laughter of everyone else at the table. Including the two culprits.

Marcus turned to the now slightly embarrassed Chef. "Master Chef, this truly is a culinary work of art. Could my husband and I interest you in perhaps joining our culinary staff for and exchange of ideas and techniques? Ashan, our personal Chef, is always looking for new inspirations."

The Chef blushed and stuttered out, "I would be honored sir!"

Neroon signaled the Captain of his guard forward. "Master Chef, this is _Alyt_ Brenn. He is my personal aide and the Captain of my Guard. If you would wish to schedule a time to visit our home and our Master Chef, please feel free to coordinate your schedule with him. We would be delighted to host such a true _Aal _(Master) of his chosen art."

When the beaming Chef left while chattering with Brenn, Marcus and Neroon exchanged naughty glances and chuckled. Eric looked at the two and smirked. Who knew that Minbari could be so brazen? If he didn't know better, Eric would have said that Marcus had definitely corrupted the Warrior-Priest! He decided to tease them a little.

"Oh, my, my, my! Aren't the two of you ashamed of yourselves? Why, if you were on Minbar, I'm sure you'd be up on charges of lewd public behavior!" he teased.

Corwin choked and spit out his drink. Neroon's swallow of food went the wrong way and caused a caughing fit. Marcus groaned and buried his head in Neroon's shoulder. And Janice broke out in hysterical laughter. Eric and Ellen knew they were missing something, and that it had to be something REALLY good.

"All right. You are on my territory, people. Spit it out!" Ellen groused.

The four co-conspirators looked at each other. Finally, after a nod from Neroon, Marcus related the "S.F.P.D. meets Drunk Lennier" story in _Adrihi'e _(he'd let Corwin translate for Janice). There was no need for the surrounding tables to ever know what was said. There was so much laughter following the story that they had needed to take a few minutes to catch their breath.

Marcus looked at Neroon at that point. He smiled. His _mala_ had been right. Seeing his two old friends and experiencing this closeness between his old life and his new one was worth what ever the fools had thrown at them.

Neroon caught his gaze. "What are you thinking, my beloved?"

"You were right, _mala_." Marcus said and smiled.

Neroon smiled and took his hand. The Warrior-Priest gave it a reassuring squeeze and was about to kiss Marcus's palm again when Corwin interrupted.

"Enough with the PDA already! I'm trying to eat! Yaesh!" the Captain said while chuckling. "Good Lord Cole, if I hadn't known that you were the Station's unicorn magnate before the wedding, I'd say that you had totally debauched the _Satai_."

Marcus choked and ducked his head. "Oh, Valen! Could you say that any louder, please? I'm sure they didn't hear you in Vorlon Space!" he spat out, thoroughly embarrassed.

Janice looked reprovingly at her husband. "David! That wasn't very nice!" she said. Then she turned around at gave Marcus an impish smile of her own. "Unicorn magnate? You hopeless romantic, you! Only you would hold to such an ideal, old friend."

Neroon thought he understood the reference, but just to make sure, "Unicorn magnate?" he asked.

Marcus simply hid his face in his hands. Great! The whole damned class would know in about three minutes. Sarah "telegraph" Van-Heusen was seated at the next table over! He felt like he was in junior year again and the subject of the current lunch hall rumor.

When Corwin explained the reference, Neroon smiled. He gently brought Marcus's face up to his own and kissed him. Then he said, "This I knew. And nothing, not even being Chosen by Valen, humbled me more than to receive such a precious gift." Neroon then placed his right palm over Marcus's heart in the most ancient expression on love and devotion of the Minbari. Marcus at this point knew nothing but the heat of his husband's gaze and the feel of his touch.

"Awe, would you look at that? Five years married and still hopelessly lost in each other!" teased Ellen. Eric smiled at her and took her hand. The Lord knew they weren't much better in private.

"All right you two, this is your last warning! Do I need to get a fire hose?" Corwin interjected while Janice giggled.

Marcus and Neroon broke apart. Marcus took a look at their smirking companions. The Ranger turned Warrior blushed.

"My God, Cole! After everything you two have been through, you can still blush?!" Eric asked.

"Yes he can, and I delight in that fact daily," Neroon teased his still blushing husband.

Marcus moaned. "Mercy! I plead for mercy!" he begged.

"All right! I think that Marcus has had his quota of teasing for the day. Let's get on with the meal, shall we? After all, as soon as this meal is over, three of us are getting to play politics. Oh, joy!" Eric sarcastically said with a equally disgruntled look on his face. With statement, everyone dug in.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Alma Mater Blues

Author: Third Charm

Fandom: Babylon 5

Pairings: Marcus/Neroon, Corwin/OC, Sheridan/Delenn (in passing), Garibaldi/Lise (in passing), Lyta/Byron (in passing), Ivanova/OC (in passing), and Lennier/OC (in passing and sort of)

Story Type: Drama, Comedy, Romance

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Babylon 5 and all subsequent major characters, plots, and ideas are the property of J.Michael Straczynski, Babylonian Inc. and Warner Bros. The following story was written only for the purposes of entertainment. No income had been made.

Warnings: Very, **_VERY _**AU, not beta read yet, slash, implied exhibitionism and voyeurism

Spoilers: Too many to count!

Summary: This is another installment in the "Reunion Series" and is a sequel to "Old Crushes and True Loves". Now, to the party the boys do go!

Author's Note: Marcus and Neroon are an "old married couple" in this story. Also, the Minbari words and phrases were found at the "JumpNow" website in John Hightower's Minbari dictionary.

* * *

Alma Mater Blues

Chapter Three

"All right! I think that Marcus has had his quota of teasing for the day. Let's get on with the meal, shall we? After all, as soon as this meal is over, three of us are getting to play politics. Oh, joy!" Eric sarcastically said with an equally disgruntled look on his face. With statement, everyone dug in.

After the meal was over and dessert and coffee were being served, Marcus decided to broach the subject of the flimsy. "Eric, you didn't seem very "enthused" when reading the flimsy that Headmaster Richards had given you," he said.

Eric looked at him, and the scowl returned. "No, Marcus. Severely pissed off would be a better way to describe my mood. The flimsy is a list. It names those from our class that have passed on. It is, though, incomplete and inaccurate," he replied as he handed over the flimsy.

Marcus took it and began to read. With each line, each name, he read his face became grimmer. When he was done reading, Marcus put down the flimsy and gave the table a very detailed lesson in _Lenn'ah_ and _Adrihi'e_ profanity. It took Neroon gently stroking his hand and quietly murmuring to him for several minutes to calm him down. When Marcus finally stopped spewing vitriol, Neroon asked him what was so upsetting about the incomplete list.

Marcus turned to him and smiled ruefully. " Many things, _mala_. The first of which is seeing the all those names. It is very hard to acknowledge that so many of my generation have been lost. Second, the list has practically no names from the "respected alumni" families. Third, many of our classmates - and though it seemed otherwise at the time, we did lose good people because of that bastard, _mala _- who fought AGAINST Clark are conspicuously missing, while those very few who fell in his service actually are listed as heroes! And third, again, when it comes to the Shadow War, there almost no "old" names listed. THAT is an indication of the cowardice of those sitting around us. Even when we were fighting for the survival of the species - I'm sorry to say this, love - against the Minbari and then again against the Shadows, the rich and well-connected stayed out of the wars!"

"They let the "charity" and "social obligation" students do the dying for them! The fourth and final, as well as worst, insult on that list is the fact that practically all those who did die and were part of the "in crowd" are listed as some sort of heroes whether or not it is true! It disgusts me – especially if they were loyal to that short-lived but still deadly xenophobic, Shadow-owned bastard of a hypacrite Clark!" he finished, still fuming.

"You are forgetting that they had given special attention to those that died in the Earth/Minbari War, Marcus. We both know they did that just to humiliate the _Satai_," Eric softly reminded him.

Marcus blushed and ducked his head in shame. He'd hoped to gloss over that. Neroon just squeezed his hand in understanding.

"Why does that not surprise me? Witherspoon has always been an arrogant git. But I just can't believe the even he would push this agenda and his political opposition to Ellen here of all places - and using the dead to do it!" Janice said angrily, shaking her head at the shear gall of the idiot.

"Well, they can forget us feeding their damned egos, covering for their collective cowardice and rewriting history for them! I have sent out for a complete list of those in our class that didn't make it. Everyone! No matter who they were or how they passed or who they supported. And the only ones that will get any special mention will be those that have been in some way honored for their sacrifice and/or for committing acts above and beyond the call of duty!" Eric ground out before turning to his wife.

"Ellen, love, I'd like you to read that portion. I've already roughed out a little something in my mind. I'll scratch it out for you. I know that you can take it from there. As for the rest, we three can bumble along somehow," he said before turning his attention to the Minbari. "Neroon, don't take this the wrong way, but maybe it would be better if you let Marcus take this alone?" Eric asked.

At Neroon's scowl, Corwin jumped in, "I think it would be better if the three of you do this without any one of us. Just call Madame President up when it's her turn at the mike. None of us were part of this class, and if anyone of us are up there, well, it'll look like we're trying to horn in on your show."

Eric nodded. "You're right. Well, that's the plan. Let's keep this short, sweet, to the point and honest. Witherspoon and his old Clark-loving political cronies are about to have their political posteriors handed to them! I'm following Neroon's lead on this. Tomorrow is going to be an interesting news morning!"

Neroon gave him a feral Warrior's smile and inclined his head, both in agreement and support of his plan.

"The one thing those idiots hadn't counted on was Ellen being here, and they are going to pay for that little oversight! Oh, I've also had their monstrosity of a plaque replaced with something more appropriate. It's being put together by some of my people as we speak. It should be ready and here by the time we finish this dog and pony show," he finished as he wrote something out on the back of the flimsy.

Marcus laughed at the term "dog and pony show". When Neroon gave him a puzzled look, he explained the term. The Minbari shook his head. Humans seemed to draw linguistic analogies from everything!

Eric's statement stunned Corwin. "Just how can you have a memorial plaque put together and here in only a couple of hours?" he asked

"It's easy when you have a xenogeological lab literally around the corner. We have a shipment of Borsyne Quartz that just came in," the CEO answered.

Everyone at the table gasped, including Neroon. Borsyne Quartz was one of the most rare and beautiful crystals in the known galaxy. This would surely be a beautiful work of art!

"One slab of quartz plus one plasma laser plus one tech who can write a sentence with it, and there you go. One commemorative plaque ready to go," a very smug Eric finished.

Corwin snorted and shook his head. "You and Michael are WAY too much alike! Well, at least it'll be gorgeous. I guess that's an added bonus. It'll also make whatever they had put together look like trash and it'll also stick in their craw that you went and tossed their work," he said.

Erin smiled quite evilly while his two classmates chuckled, remembering that same look from the very rare, but highly effective retaliatory pranks that Eric had pulled. "Oh, yes. That's exactly why I'm doing it!" he crowed as his aide came over and gave him the new list and then handed over another list to the President.

She took both that list and the hurriedly penned outline of a speech from her husband and scanned them both. She did this while Eric spoke to his aide, making sure that everything he wanted was ready. At that point, their old headmaster walked into the center of the open area that had been reserved as the dance floor. The old gentleman tapped at the pin on his lapel that served as a microphone. He made a little speech to announce the dedication to those that could not be with them this night and then introduced the three whom would handle the memorial and the dedication of the plaque. He stepped aside then.

Marcus, Eric and Janice stood up and walked over to the elderly retired teacher and took it from there. And it was everything that their spouses expected. Each made a short, moving speech remembering their fallen classmates without mentioning anyone in particular. Then Eric asked Ellen to join them. When she did, she stated that each one had had fallen for their beliefs and then went on to commemorate those that had been awarded honors for their service and sacrifice. And low and behold, none mentioned were Witherspoon's old cronies! When Ellen finished, she bowed her head in respect to the fallen and then walked back over to their table and sat back down.

Eric asked everyone to bow their heads in a moment of silence for those that were lost. Then the lights dimmed and a holographic scroll of names appeared behind the three figures. When the lights came up, Janice intoned a simple prayer and then handed the floor back over to Eric who motioned to one of his aides.

Rathborn's aide then brought in the plaque. Everyone present gasped in shock at the sight. The inch thick diamond cut Borsyne Quartz refracted the light in the room just as a diamond would, mesmerizing the audience and making Witherspoon's and his compatriots' jaws drop. And, on it's face, a simple sentence was cut. The writing had been filled in with silver and read:

_"To those that have fallen for Humanity, may they be remembered."_

The plaque and the dedication were met with approval and applause from most everyone present. Witherspoon and his cadre could barely keep their fury at being dismissed so thoroughly in check. But, they had no recourse other than to swallow their collective bile and pretend to be happy to have their classmates remembered in such a way. The pinched and constipated looks on the faces of the worst of their childhood rivals made the three old friends quite happy. The trio then looked over to the teachers' table and saw their collective relief in the shortness of the dedication and in the fact that that this hadn't been made into a venue to sharpen political axes. As the trio left the floor, and Marcus and Janice shared a mischievous look, Corwin and Neroon also shared a speaking look.

Corwin voiced their shared thoughts. "We're both lucky bastards, Neroon. And damned lucky that both of 'em were scared and stupid kids back then, or we'd both be single old war horses, and she'd be carrying his kid," he finished as he nodded towards Marcus.

Neroon looked at Corwin and gave him a rueful smile. He inclined his head in agreement. "We can also thank Valen and your God for the fact that Marcus was blind as well as innocent at the age of his education," he dryly added. Corwin chuckled, and Ellen, who had been listening in to the conversion, chuckled as well in agreement.

When the trio sat down, the former headmaster announced the start of the music and dancing for the evening. Marcus and Neroon both groaned. They hated this part of the diplomatic receptions. Neroon especially hated it. He loved dancing with his husband, but hated public ballroom dancing since it always caused them headaches back in the Federation.

Human ballroom dancing was considered to be nothing more than stylized - and public - foreplay by the Minbari. Each time they or John and Delenn had been photographed dancing at a reception, it had caused no end of controversy in the Federation. And each would be expected to dance not only with each other, but at least two other partners before the night was out.

Ellen took in their crestfallen faces and chuckled again. "Hey you two, this isn't a diplomatic shindig! Dance only with each other, or don't dance at all. If you want to, sneak out as soon as the floor is full!" she got out between chuckles. The rest of the table laughed at their stunned looks as they processed the truth of that statement.

Marcus turned to Neroon. In an amazed voice he said, "She's right! By God, she's right! You know, I want one waltz with you Neroon, and then I'd like to get some fresh air."

By some insane coincidence, the band struck up a waltz as the first dance. Neroon stood up, and offered a hand to his mala. "Your wish is my command, _mala_." he replied with a mischievous smile.

Marcus took his hand with an answering smile and stood up. "I wish," was his happy answer as Neroon led him out to the dance floor.

Neroon took Marcus in his arms, and they began to dance. Marcus was still amazed at how well Neroon could dance. The Warrior-Priest had picked up ballroom dancing faster than Marcus had thought possible. When he had said this to his _mala_, Neroon had laughed and replied that dancing was very similar to the two other forms that he was an expert at and that Marcus shouldn't be amazed that he was such a quick study.

At Marcus's puzzled look, he had gone on to smugly say that dancing was like combining the forms of the _denn'bok_ with lovemaking. And, as he had so well proven to his _mala_, he was an expert in both! Marcus hadn't known whether to laugh at the audacity of that statement or to jump his husband and wipe that smug smirk off of his face.

When the dance ended, Marcus took Neroon's hand lad led him out of the hall. "Come with me, beloved. I want to show you something from my childhood," he said as he led Neroon through the halls and out into the school's colonnade.

They entered the colonnade with Marcus in the lead. They kept walking. The pair left the colonnade and walked towards the center of the square. They walked towards the tower in the center of the square. As they approached the tower, Neroon began to let his curiosity reign.

"Why are we coming to this tower, _ma'fela_?" he asked.

"I wanted you to be a part of my past beloved; a part that holds no pain for me. This is where Will and I used come to escape from the pressures of this place. We used to climb to the top of the bell tower and watch everything beneath us. Here we used to talk, dream, plan pranks against our rivals and try and deal with the homesickness for our parents and Arisia. It may have been just a mining colony, but Arisia was home, and we missed it," Marcus said as they entered and began to climb to the top of the tower. Neroon felt his _mala's_ melancholy for a more innocent time, a time before Marcus knew death and pain, for a time before he dealt them out.

"You could say that this was our little getaway from reality," he finished as they came to the top of the tower. When Marcus turned to face him at the top of the landing, Neroon gave him an encouraging smile. Marcus then took his husband's hand and led him to the tower opening facing west, the one facing the town.

"This was our favorite view. We used to look out on this view and let ourselves imagine that one day we'd build up Arisia's habitat to be just like this. Hell, Neroon, we thought that one day we'd make Arisia into more that just a mining platform, but a trading platform that would be even larger than Babylon 5 is today," Marcus's face had gone soft in remembrance. "Ah, God! The idiotic pipe dreams two kids can come up with!" Marcus laughed outright then. "If these walls could talk, I would be the most embarrassed being in known space. The mooning over girls we had done here! And the horrible poetry that two hormone crazed adolescents can come up with! " Neroon laughed with his _mala_ then, happy to see memories of Marcus's past and family that did not cause him pain.

Marcus chuckled and blushed. "I'm not sure, but I think that Will lost his virginity here. At least, I know that he and Kathy, a young lady from his year, disappeared one night after curfew, and when they reappeared again – practically at dawn, mind you – they both had these insane grins on their faces."

Neroon chuckled and pulled his love closer to him and laughingly said, "Aha! So, not all the Coles held such ideals as you have, my love." Neroon looked into those green eyes that had captivated him since the _den'shah_ (duel to the death). "It is good to see you so happy, my love. The past has always been a source of pain for you. It is wonderful to see you remember the happy times as well. Coming here has been good for you, hasn't it?"

Marcus snuggled into the strong embrace of his husband. "If you need to hear it again, you were right. Dealing with the idiots was worth it. Seeing Eric and Janice again was worth it. Remembering Will without the pain was worth it. And upstaging Witherspoon was more than worth it!" Marcus said and smiled into his husband's chest as he heard the deep, rumbling laughter he loved so much.

Neroon held his husband close as he laughed. Somehow, this experience, this shared experience with his soul mate felt like a cleansing, felt as if they were sharing a _Na'fak Cha_ again. And perhaps, in a way, they were.

As the _Satai_ laughed, he looked down to see those horrible Rothechilde harridans looking up at them. Now, how could two intoxicated fools who had genetically bad eyesight see them? Hmmmm… Oh, they didn't!? Oh, but they must have! Those two guttersnipes had night sensitive lenses in, he was sure of it! Neroon smirked evilly. Well if the lying little voyeuristic spies wanted a show…

"Marcus, beloved, I know it won't be your first time, but if you wish to follow your brother's lead, hmmm?" Neroon purred as he began to kiss and suckle his_ mala's_ ear.

Marcus gasped and tried to wriggle away. "Neroon! You're terrible! What if someone were to walk out here?"

* * *

_Author's Note:_ As per this site's guidelines, the "naughty" section describing the "marital relations" between Marcus and Neroon has been removed. If you are interested in reading that portion of the story, please go to the "Delusions" site (click on "homepage" in the profile section) to do so.

* * *

Marcus continued to lean against the wall. His eyes were still closed, his expression that of a man still lost in pleasure. Marcus was panting and trying to get his pulse and breathe under control as Neroon cleaned him off and righted his clothing. When Neroon stood and again took him into his arms reality came crashing back, and Marcus wanted to die of shame.

"Are they still down there?" he whimpered out. Neroon answered in the negative, and tried to calm the panic he knew was coming.

"I can't believe we did that, that YOU did that! Oh, God and Valen, I can't ever show my face in public again!" Marcus began to truly panic. "Oh, my God! What if this gets back to the Federation?!"

Neroon kissed him to quiet him. When he had Marcus lax in his arms from the kiss, he spoke. "No one at home will know love, those two will say nothing," he smugly purred out.

Marcus considered both Neroon's words and his tone. He looked at his smug mate with narrowed eyes. "And why pray tell wouldn't they share this knowledge with the rest of the world?" he growled out.

"Simply because we can destroy their family's chain of restaurants by inducing their head chef to never leave Minbar once he's there. And, I'll make sure they know this before we leave tonight. As for those to telling everyone else in there, whom do you think would be believed, hmmm? Us, the all too "prim and proper" Minbari-style couple, or the two inebriated harridans that have propositioned every male in the room and, if I haven't missed my guess, some of the females as well?" Neroon said smugly.

Marcus looked at his _mala_ in surprise. "Why, love. You are even more underhanded than I previously thought! You set that poor chef up! You planned on stealing the chef from the very beginning, didn't you?" Neroon smugly nodded.

Marcus chuckled and then groaned in remembrance. "We are still going to have to go through that crowd on our way out, and I know that they will all know. The Rothechilde sluts were always thick as thieves with Sarah Van-Heusen, better known as, the class "telegraph"," he said.

Neroon gave Marcus his most haughty _Satai_ look. "_Mala_, do you care what they know or say? Remember there is nothing anyone one of them can say, and anything they do say, will sound as if they are trying to get the press off of them in the morning. They will sound as if they are nothing more than spiteful xenophobic idiots trying to cover up their own indiscretions. Just act confident and innocent when we walk back in."

Neroon gave his _mala_ an evil smirk. "Better yet, look smug and sated. Um, as you Humans say, "rub their noses in it". Let them know that you know, and that there isn't anything that they can do about it."

Marcus was stunned. Neroon had this whole evening planned out. His _mala_ had a contingency for every miniscule event, a payback for even the smallest small hurt that Marcus had experienced at this place hidden in every possible event. Good Lord, but no wonder why Delenn had lost her place on the Grey Council to him that time!

"Now I know that you are the most conniving, let alone underhanded, Minbari in existence! Hell, even Londo has nothing on you!" he gasped out between peels of laughter.

Neroon actually looked proud of that statement. "Beloved, you may be _Id'Minbari_ (Minbari Souled), but I am a genetic Child of Valen. And we both know who he truly was – one of the wiliest Humans to ever be born!"

This sent Marcus into another round of uncontrollable laughter. When Marcus finally calmed, they descended the stairs. When they reached the landing, they straightened their clothes, made sure they were presentable, and walked back towards the main building of the school. When they entered, they could literally feel the tension begin to mount. Marcus took Neroon's advice and pasted a very masculine smile of sexual fulfillment on his face.

When they entered the hall again, the noise level dropped significantly. They could literally feel the many pairs of eyes following their every move. The noise level picked up with all the whispering done in their wake. Marcus kept that smug, sated, masculine smile on. Neroon kept a guiding hand on the small of his back the entire way. As they returned to their table, Neroon nodded slightly to his right, and again gave Marcus the Minbari equivalent of a wink. Marcus looked over Neroon's shoulder as he sat down. Oh, but the telegraph was seated right next to them and going at full speed! Marcus gave his _mala_ a slight nod in understanding.

Neroon gave him a very lecherous smile as Marcus sat down. When Marcus was seated, Neroon leaned in and gave Marcus a sweet kiss. Then, in a very audible whisper he said, "Mmm, I love the way you taste."

Marcus wanted to explode into laughter at the combined gasp heard all around the room. He kept the laughter to himself, and instead gave his naughty husband an even naughtier smile. And then Marcus winked.

In that sinful bedroom voice of his he simply said, "I know". And then sat back to watch the semi-concealed hysterics from his old classmates. Neroon may have utterly corrupted him, but oh this was going to be fun!

The End


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